Methods and systems for constructing or retrofitting electromagnetically shielded facilities

ABSTRACT

Electromagnetically shielding an enclosable structure having a floor, walls, a ceiling, and at least one closeable opening by applying a shielding wallcovering to at least a portion of one of the walls and applying a second type of shielding material to at least a portion of the enclosable structure, wherein the second type of shielding material differs from the shielding wallcovering. The shielding wall covering is wallpaper comprising a metal-coated broad good and a resin. Other types of shielding material may include a transparent, shielding window covering such as NiCVD coated screen of woven silk fibers; shielded flooring such as a layered combinations of Kevlar non-woven as a base layer, nickel-coated non-woven layers, and a PCF toughened polymer; and a transition shielding strip made of a base layer of the shielding wallpaper with a PCF toughened polymer coating over a portion of the strip.

RELATED APPLICATION

-   -   This patent application is a division of U.S. patent application        Ser. No. 15/639,827 filed on Jun. 30, 2017, for an invention        titled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONSTRUCTING OR RETROFITTING        ELECTROMAGNETICALLY SHIELDED FACILITIES now issued as U.S. Pat.        No. 10,506,746 and which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional        Patent Application, Ser. No. 62/357,904 that was filed on Jul.        1, 2016, for an invention titled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR        CONSTRUCTING OR RETROFITTING ELECTROMAGNETICALLY SHIELDED        FACILITIES, each of which is hereby incorporated herein by this        reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to electromagnetically shieldingstructures. More specifically, the present disclosure relates tomethods, systems, and materials for creating or retrofitting enhancedelectromagnetic shielding of facility structures to protect data.

Various exemplary embodiments of the present invention are describedbelow. Use of the term “exemplary” means illustrative or by way ofexample only, and any reference herein to “the invention” is notintended to restrict or limit the invention to exact features or stepsof any one or more of the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the presentspecification. References to “exemplary embodiment,” “one embodiment,”“an embodiment,” “some embodiments,” “various embodiments,” and thelike, may indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention so describedmay include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but notevery embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure,or characteristic. Further, repeated use of the phrase “in oneembodiment,” or “in an exemplary embodiment,” do not necessarily referto the same embodiment, although they may.

2. The Relevant Technology

The proliferation of wireless communication and smart devices continuesto grow at a rapid pace. Devices, applications, and new capabilities areconstantly evolving. When security of digital data and devices is ofprimary concern, wireless threats must be mitigated. There are twoprimary means of mitigating a broad spectrum of threats. The first is toaddress security through encryption/decryption technology, and thesecond is to physically deny access to (or emissions of) wirelesssignals and/or wireless access to (or damage) electronic devices.

Due to the pace of technology development, it is challenging to sustainlong-term security using encryption approaches. Denied access approachesinvolve the development and deployment of shielded rooms such asSensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF). Conventionalshielded room construction methods rely on expensive and heavy metals,and specialized methods that are best suited for new construction only,making them costly to deploy and limited in size and functionalitygenerally.

Although shielded facilities presently exist, they were built as newconstruction, are expensive, and they require use of heavy metals thatrequire precision welding to achieve minimal benchmark shieldingcapability. Such construction does not easily translate to facilitiesrequiring retrofit shielding.

Accordingly, a need exists for new systems and methods for costeffective shielded construction, suitable for both new build andretrofit scenarios.

Such systems and methods are disclosed herein and are directed toinnovative approaches utilizing a family of nickel-coated shieldingmaterials to include wallpaper, wallboard, window coverings, paints,adhesives, coatings, elastomers, and complimentary conventionalshielding products for doors, door gaskets, air ducts, wave guides belowcut-off, filters, and other construction component materials.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure describes developments responsive to the presentstate of the art, and in particular, in response to the problems andneeds in the art that have not yet been fully solved by currentlyavailable methods and systems. This disclosure is directed to a host ofexemplary multifunctional materials that have been developed and arecommercially viable. Such multifunctional materials answer the combineddemands of lightweight and cost-effective performance in the face ofever-increasing and demanding electromagnetic environments.

The multifunctional structural materials and insertion technologiesintegrate directly into existing materials and manufacturingarchitectures, and enable previously unattainable levels ofelectromagnetic protection. Key applications, enabled by the materialsand technologies disclosed herein, may include shielding of any volumethat requires electromagnetic denial or protection, such as SCIFs, datacenters, testing centers, R & D facilities, corporate boardrooms, andthe like. Such shielding may be used for electromagnetic denial orprotection for inhabitable volumes (i.e., volumes capable of beingentered by a human) or smaller uninhabitable volumes too small for humanentry.

For office environments, several approaches may be used, each to addressa certain construction type, application method, or required protectionlevel. Exemplary solutions of interest may include shielding wallpapersand wallboard, transparent/shielding window coverings, conductive paintsand sealants, shielded cabling, and conductive concrete, stuccos, andplasters for exterior applications or for new or retrofit construction.

The use of shielding wallpaper introduces a paradigm shift fromconventional use of metals which are heavy, require time consumingwelding, and are expensive to procure and install. Utilizing theteachings of this disclosure, electromagnetic shielding may be appliedor incorporated into a system for shielding a structure such as a SCIFor a corporate boardroom or any other volume. Nickel CVD (chemical vapordeposition) coated woven and nonwovens are off-the-shelf items availablefrom Conductive Composites Company in Heber City, Utah. Although severalcompanies may provide Metal-CVD coated woven and nonwoven substrates,the NiCVD materials available from Conductive Composites Company arepreferred. NiCVD coated woven and nonwovens have a continuous ductilecoating over every surface of a finished nonwoven, including fibers andbinders. The CVD coated woven and nonwoven broad goods available fromConductive Composites Company are ultra-lightweight, robust, uniform,and highly conductive as a standalone component or when infused. Thereare several companies that provide metal-CVD coated substrates,including Vapor Technologies in Longmont, Colo.; Richter Precision Inc.in East Petersburg, Pa.; Ti-Coating, Inc. in Utica, Mich.; Ultramet inPacoima, Calif.; TevTech LLC in North Billerica, Mass.; and WeberManufacturing Technologies Inc. in Midland, Ontario, Canada, amongothers.

Metal CVD coated broad goods, whether woven or nonwoven, arecontinuously conductive on all surfaces, inside and out. Nonwovens madefrom individually coated fibers have shown somewhat adequate shieldingin wallpaper, but have the limitation that the non-conductive binderinsolates the individually conductive fibers. NiCVD coated broad goodsutilize an organic substrate including, for example, carbon-based andcellulose-based fiber products. Since they are coated as broad goods,the coating of nickel covers all surfaces and the electromagneticshielding is superior to fibers being coated and then bound because theCVD coated broad goods have a continuous path for conductivity. Hence,the conductivity of the metal CVD coated broad goods is isotropic(conductive in all directions). NiCVD coated cellulose is much more costeffective than carbon fiber-based substrates. High levels of electricalconductivity and broadband electromagnetic shielding, using such broadgoods, may be inserted into applications at very attractive weight andcost savings. Advantageous features of an exemplary NiCVD coated broadgoods include:

-   -   Ultra-lightweight and conductive with highly effective broadband        shielding;    -   Ductile, uniform coatings layer on all surfaces, including over        binders;    -   No change in conductivity when infused or cured;    -   Conductivity with thin coatings leads to lower caliper;    -   Coating substrates include carbon, aramid, cellulose, and other        fiber types;    -   CVD-coated broad goods can be wet processed subsequent to the        CVD coating (binder is protected);    -   Coating is ferromagnetic;    -   Increased cost savings compared to traditional solutions; and    -   Improved material capabilities.

One exemplary embodiment of shielding wallpaper uses a CVD appliedsub-micron layer of highly conductive and corrosion-resistant metallicnickel to a cellulose based paper substrate. This coated paper then hassimilar handling, weight, and application characteristics to theuncoated paper, but now with the added functionality of electricalconductivity and electromagnetic shielding. By applying an adhesive(such as a wallpaper paste, conductive or not, or a coextensive sheet offilm adhesive, or any other suitable resinous penetrating adhesive suchas, for example, vinyl tile adhesives, urethane-based polymers, and thelike) to one side of the CVD coated paper, the CVD coated paper may betransformed into wallpaper that may be installed in customary fashion.Additionally, however, the CVD coated paper may be applied wet using anon-site wet lay-up process because the resin used to seal the CVD coatedpaper from corrosion acts as an adhesive to secure the CVD coated paperto a wall, door, ceiling, or floor when applied wet and allowed to dryin place. This CVD coated wallpaper has added functionality of isotropicelectrical conductivity and effective electromagnetic shielding.

The nickel coating may be engineered across a range of conductivity andshielding levels by controlling the coating thickness, which thencorresponds to a broad possible range of applications from ElectrostaticDischarge (ESD) to Electromagnetic Shielding (EMI) protection andbeyond. Multiple layers can be used to increase protection levels.Coatings may be applied to various substrates, including cellulose,carbon, silk, aramids, and even carbon nanomaterials, to name a few.Substrate formats may be woven, nonwovens, scrims (papers), cloths,fabrics, and even single tows and filaments. Coating performance on twodifferent base substrates are shown in Chart 1 in U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application, Ser. No. 62/357,904 that was filed on Jul. 1, 2016,for an invention titled METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR CONSTRUCTING ORRETROFITTING ELECTROMAGNETICALLY SHIELDED FACILITIES (herein afterreferred to as “Provisional Application”), which is hereby incorporatedherein by this reference. The shielding effectiveness of a single layerhas been demonstrated in the 60-80 db range. The paper may also becombined with other materials, incorporated into seam edges, applied bystandard construction methods (i.e., with commercially availablewallpaper adhesives or film adhesives), and then painted over orre-papered over to achieve a desired look. See Provisional Application,¶ [0014] and FIG. 1.

When tested in standard consumer wireless (WiFi) frequencies, enclosuresthat use this shielding wallpaper are seen to shield 60 to 90 db acrossthe frequency range. See Provisional Application, ¶ [0015] and Chart 1.

Several structures have been built and tested using exemplary shieldingwallpaper of the present disclosure, including a portable stick-frameand wallboard (standard construction) room. WiFi signals from typicalelectronics (such as a laptop) are completely attenuated when placed inthis shielded room. See Provision Application, ¶ [0016] and Diagram 2.

For shielding integrity, the shielding wallpaper is hung so that edgesoverlap, leaving no open seam. Overlapping at floor and ceilingjunctures also facilitates the shielding protection of an entire room orbuilding structure. It should be understood that the shielding wallpapermay be hung with side edges abutting; but, to maintain shieldingintegrity, a shielding strip of tape or wallpaper material shouldstraddle any possible gap in the seam formed by the abutting edges.

Although metal screens and meshes are known for window shieldingapplications, such shielding has drawbacks. Approaches, disclosedherein, have been developed for transparent, shielding window coveringsthat overcome drawbacks of metal screens and meshes. These newapproaches for window coverings may again be engineered across a broadrange, with various substrate (including organic screens) and layeringoptions. The window shielding applications disclosed herein include anexemplary NiCVD coated screen of woven silk fibers. This material showsgood optical transparency, and attenuates from 40 to 100 db, dependingon frequency, as shown in Provisional Application at paragraph [0018]and Diagram 3. It should be understood that for such window shielding tobe an effective shielded optical opening component of a shieldedbuilding structure, a shielding coupling (such as a conductive frame,overlapping edge portions or tabs of the NiCVD coated screen of wovensilk fibers, or the like) would need to connect to the adjacent portionof shielding of the shielded building structure to maintain shieldingcontinuity between the window shielding and the shielded buildingstructure.

When tested against typical consumer devices (enclosed within asurrounding sleeve of shielding screen), the transparent shieldingscreen shows that typical frequencies (cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth, andGPS) are completely attenuated. See Provisional Application, ¶ [0019]and Diagram 4.

Additional advanced materials are available from Conductive CompositesCompany and may be used provide a range of specialty constructionmaterials. These materials are applicable to electro static discharge(ESD) sensitive applications, medical imaging, and certain shieldingapplications. Such products may be used in construction just asconventional materials, while incorporating the advantageous propertiesof isotropic conductivity and shielding. Specialty construction productsinclude paints, sealants, adhesives, concretes, stucco, wallpaper, andall other types of construction materials.

Shielded flooring represents a challenge because floors are oftensubject to considerable foot traffic or vehicle or heavy equipmenttraffic. Although, the use of shielded wallpaper between subfloors mayprove suitable for some facilities, a more physically robust alternativemay be required to achieve the level of shielding needed. Where morerobust material is needed, an exemplary three-layered combination ofKevlar non-woven as a base layer, nickel-coated non-woven as theintermediate layer, and a precision-chopped fiber (PCF) toughenedpolymer may be used.

For purposes of this disclosure, PCF is a metal-coated fiber (such as anickel-coated fiber) chopped to a specific length requirement so thatwhen added to a polymer, elastomer, or paint the loaded polymer,elastomer, or paint can be applied by spraying, rolling, and/or brushingusing conventional techniques. The PCF can be applied to wood orconcrete subfloors by roller, brush, or spray. A single layer ormulti-layered combination shielded flooring may be adhered to asubfloor's top surface with a second subfloor adhered to the shieldedflooring so that the shielded flooring may be sandwiched betweensubfloors.

Where suitable, the ceiling in a room may be treated like a wall andhave wallpaper hung on the ceiling. Where more robust protection isneeded, wallpaper can be adhered to the ceiling structure above adropped ceiling, for example, and then covered by the layeredcombinations described above or by a spray-on PCF toughened polymer. Ofcourse, those skilled in the art armed with knowledge of the shieldedconstruction materials disclosed herein may use those materials in othercombinations to achieve the desired level of protection whilemaintaining shielding integrity.

For new construct or where suitable for a retrofit, the floor, walls orceiling may be formed of a shielding concrete. Such shielding concretemay comprise 0.2 to 2.5% of nickel-coated carbon fiber, chopped tolengths of 1 mm to 12 mm and added to the concrete during mixing. Withloads levels of 0.01% to 0.1% within the concrete will create an ESDshielding floor. Loading the concrete at approximately 1.5% will yieldshielding at about 60 db for ¼″ thickness, 66 db for ½″ thickness, 72 dbfor 1″ thickness, and 78 db for 2″ thickness.

Because a sharp corner to a room may serve as an antenna, the cornersare preferably rounded. The shielded wallpapers of the presentdisclosure are particularly suitable because they are as flexible asmost papers and may cover rounded corners easily. Further, theinterfaces between floor and wall and between wall and ceiling may bespanned by overlapping or utilizing a transition shielding strip. Anexemplary transition shielding strip may be made of a base layer of theshielding wallpaper (e.g. nickel-coated non-woven) with a PCF toughenedpolymer coating over a portion of the strip. The exemplary transitionshielding strip may be disposed to straddle the interface generally at abending line with the shielding wallpaper portion being adhered to thewall and the toughened polymer coated portion being adhered to theshielded flooring material (such as the three-layer combinationdescribed above) or shielded concrete.

These and other features of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention will become more fully apparent from the followingdescription, or may be learned by the practice of the invention as setforth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The exemplary embodiments of the present invention is described morefully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichone or more exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown. Likenumbers used herein refer to like elements throughout. This inventionmay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be operative,enabling, and complete. Accordingly, the particular arrangementsdisclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting the scopeof the invention, which is to be given the full breadth of the appendedclaims and any and all equivalents thereof. Moreover, many embodiments,such as adaptations, variations, modifications, and equivalentarrangements, will be implicitly disclosed by the embodiments describedherein and fall within the scope of the present invention.

Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a genericand descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. Unlessotherwise expressly defined herein, such terms are intended to be giventheir broad ordinary and customary meaning not inconsistent with thatapplicable in the relevant industry and without restriction to anyspecific embodiment hereinafter described. As used herein, the article“a” is intended to include one or more items. Where only one item isintended, the term “one”, “single”, or similar language is used. Whenused herein to join a list of items, the term “or” denotes at least oneof the items, but does not exclude a plurality of items of the list.Additionally, the terms “operator”, “user”, “officer”, “soldier”, and“individual” may be used interchangeably herein unless otherwise madeclear from the context of the description.

Understanding that these drawing(s) depict only typical exemplaryembodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered tobe limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explainedwith additional specificity and detail through the use of theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cut-away perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded room with walls, floor, ceiling, a window, and a door,including enlarged portions of circled areas on the walls;

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of theshielded wallpaper of FIG. 1 along line A-A;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of theshielded wallpaper at an overlapping juncture shown in FIG. 1 along lineB-B;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of theshielded wallpaper at an abutting juncture with a shielding strip inFIG. 1 along line C-C;

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of an alternative exemplary embodiment ofthe shielded wallpaper of FIG. 1 along line A-A with an adhesive layerdepicted on the inward side of the shielded wallpaper;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of another alternative exemplaryembodiment of the shielded wallpaper of FIG. 1 along line A-A with awoven CVD coated substrate core;

FIG. 7 is a cut-away perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded room with walls, floor, ceiling, a window, and a door,including enlarged portions of a circled area on the window;

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a portion of asingle silk thread showing multiple silk fibers intermingled to form thesilk thread;

FIG. 9 is a cross-section view of the exemplary silk thread of FIG. 8along line D-D;

FIG. 10 is a cut-away perspective view of an exemplary CVD coated silkfiber with a portion of the CVD coating stripped away to reveal the silkfiber;

FIG. 11 is an exploded, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of atwo-layer shielded silk screen showing the mesh of the overlaying layerrotated 45° from the subtending layer;

FIG. 12 is an exploded, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of athree-layer shielded silk screen showing the mesh of the intermediatelayer rotated 30° from the subtending layer and the overlying layerrotated 60° from the subtending layer;

FIG. 13 is a cut-away perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded room with walls, floor, ceiling, a window, and a door,including enlarged portions of circled areas at the floor to walljuncture and on the ceiling;

FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of the floorto wall juncture of FIG. 13 along line E-E;

FIG. 15 is a cross-section view of an alternative exemplary embodimentof the floor to wall juncture of FIG. 13 along line E-E;

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a transitionshielding strip;

FIGS. 17A-17-C is a series of cross-section views of three alternativeembodiments of PCF-loaded shielding material, wherein FIG. 17A depicts aPCF-loaded shielding material with a first concentration of PCFdispersed within the material, FIG. 17B depicts a PCF-loaded shieldingmaterial with a second concentration of PCF (greater than the firstconcentration of PCF) dispersed within the material, and FIG. 17Cdepicts a PCF-loaded shielding material with a third concentration ofPCF (greater than the second concentration of PCF) dispersed within thematerial.

FIG. 18 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of theceiling of FIG. 13 along line F-F;

FIG. 19 is a cut-away perspective view of an alternative exemplaryembodiment of a shielded ceiling depicted as a suspended ceiling;

FIG. 20 is a cross-section view of an exemplary ceiling panel asdepicted in FIG. 19, showing a shielding layer on the backside of theceiling panel;

FIG. 21 is a cut-away perspective view of yet another exemplaryembodiment of a shielded room with modular wall panels, floor, ceiling,a window, and a door;

FIG. 22 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of a modularwall panel;

FIG. 23 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded, modular wall panel and end bracket assembly;

FIG. 24 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of apanel-to-panel juncture of FIG. 21 along line G-G;

FIG. 25 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of apanel-to-panel corner juncture of FIG. 21 along line H-H; and

FIG. 26 is a cross-section view of an alternative exemplary embodimentof a panel-to-panel corner juncture of FIG. 21 along line H-H.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

shielded room 10 walls 12 floor 14 ceiling 16 window 18 door 20 shieldedwallpaper 22 metal-CVD coated substrate core 24 resin 26 obverse layer28 reverse layer 30 intermediate layer 32 sheet(s) 34 longitudinaledge(s) 36 end edge(s) 38 overlapping juncture 40 abutting juncture 42shielding strip 44 adhesive layer 46 woven metal-CVD coated substratecore 48 warp thread(s) (woven wallpaper) 50 weft thread(s) (wovenwallpaper) 52 shielded covering 54 warp thread(s) (shielded covering) 56weft thread(s) (shielded covering) 58 interstices 59 organic fibers 60NiCVD coated silk thread 62 coated silk fibers 64 CVD coating 66uncoated silk fiber 68 overlying layer 70 subtending layer 72intermediate layer 74 floor-to-wall juncture 76 base subfloor 78overlaying subfloor 80 edge portion 82 transition shielding strip 84base layer 86 PCF-loaded material 88 PCF (precision chopped fiber) 89PCF-toughened polymer coating 90 material 91 bending line 92 shieldedceiling 94 drywall 96 suspended ceiling 98 ceiling panel(s) 100suspended framework 102 support ceiling 104 front side 106 backside 108recessed light fixture 110 opening 112 shielding layer 114 modular wallpanel 116 connecting brackets 118 core 120 panel shielding layer 122face 124 outer skin 126 NiCVD coated nonwoven paper 128 side edges 130wrap-around flap 132 end bracket assembly 134 metal channel 136 spacer138 legs 140 web 142 channel 144 outer face 146 panel-to-panel juncture148 H-shaped bracket assembly 150 dual metal channels 152 panel-to-panelcorner juncture 154 angled bracket assembly 156 angled channel(s) 158common portion 160 anchoring screw 162

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be bestunderstood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts aredesignated by like numerals throughout. It will be readily understoodthat the components of the exemplary embodiments of the presentinvention, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein,could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of differentconfigurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of theexemplary embodiments, as represented in the Figures, is not intended tolimit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merelyrepresentative of exemplary embodiments of the disclosure.

In this application, the phrases “connected to”, “coupled to”, and “incommunication with” refer to any form of interaction between two or moreentities, including mechanical, capillary, electrical, magnetic,electromagnetic, pneumatic, hydraulic, fluidic, and thermalinteractions.

The phrases “attached to”, “secured to”, and “mounted to” refer to aform of mechanical coupling that restricts relative translation orrotation between the attached, secured, or mounted objects,respectively. The phrase “slidably attached to” refer to a form ofmechanical coupling that permits relative translation, respectively,while restricting other relative motions. The phrase “attached directlyto” refers to a form of securement in which the secured items are indirect contact and retained in that state of securement.

The term “abut” and its formatives including “abutting” refers to itemsthat are in direct physical contact with each other, although the itemsmay not be attached together. The term “grip” refers to items that arein direct physical contact with one of the items firmly holding theother. The term “integrally formed” refers to a body that ismanufactured as a single piece, without requiring the assembly ofconstituent elements. Multiple elements may be integrally formed witheach other, when attached directly to each other from a single workpiece. Thus, elements that are “coupled to” each other may be formedtogether as a single piece.

The term “intermingle” and its formatives including “intermingling” and“intermingled” refers to items that are in longitudinal association witheach other, although the items may or may not be twisted together orbraided together. For example, a number of silk fibers may beintermingled to form a silk thread even though the fibers are nottwisted together or braided together. However, silk fibers areintermingled to form the silk thread even if twisted or braided. Hence,for this application, all twisted or braided fibers that form a threadare intermingled even though not all intermingled fibers are twisted orbraided.

Herein, the acronym “CVD” means chemical vapor deposition and theacronym “PCF” means precision chopped fiber. Precision chopped fiberincludes fibers chopped to short, precise millimeter and sub-millimeterlengths, and may be coated or non-coated. Typically, they are aconductive additive to paints, gaskets, sealants, molding compounds,adhesives, mortar-based materials, and the like to enhance theconductivity of the product to which they are added. PCF is an off-theshelf product available from Conductive Composites Company, but may alsobe obtained from any number of fiber converters such as Engineered FiberTechnology, LLC in Shelton, Conn.

The term “organic” refers to a class of chemical compounds that includesthose existing in or derived from plants or animals and also includescompounds of carbon.

The term “optical opening” includes any opening intended to permit thepassage of light into a building structure, including windows, glassdoors, side lights, skylights, portholes, clearstory windows, and thelike.

FIG. 1 is a cut-away perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded room 10 with walls 12, a floor 14, a ceiling 16, a window 18,and a door 20, including enlarged portions of circled areas on the walls12. A shielded room 10 may be achieved by utilizing one or more ofseveral unique shielding products as disclosed and described hereineither with or without known shielding products or techniques.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of shieldedwallpaper 22 of FIG. 1 along line A-A. As depicted in the magnifiedcross-section, the exemplary shielded wallpaper 22 comprises a metal-CVDcoated substrate core 24 that is impregnated by resin 26. The resin 26in the depicted embodiment has an impregnating portion and also forms anobverse layer 28 and a reverse layer 30 of resin 26 only, and anintermediate layer 32 comprised of the resin-impregnated (theimpregnating portion) metal-CVD coated substrate core 24. With thisconfiguration, not only does the resin 26 add strength and durability tothe metal-CVD coated substrate core 24, but it also seals the metal-CVDcoating or the substrate core 24 from corrosion while creating vaporimpermeability and maintaining the shielding capability of the shieldedwallpaper 22. It should be understood that the obverse layer 28 andreverse layer 30 may each be very thin (i.e., sufficient to sealmetal-CVD coated substrate core 24). The depictions of the obverse layer28 and reverse layer 30 in the drawings have exaggerated thickness onlyfor illustration and disclosure purposes.

The metals used in the metal-CVD coated substrate core 24 may be any ofa number of known conductive metals such as gold, silver, nickel,aluminum, copper, etc. and alloys of those metals. The type of metal oralloy used may be selected to achieve desired levels of conductivity orto be more cost and/or weight effective. Although nickel may be lessconductive than other metals, nickel is sufficiently conductive,less-corrosive, available in quantity, less expensive, and significantlyhigher in magnetic permeability than many other suitable metals andalloys. For those reasons, this disclosure will focus on the use ofNiCVD. However, it should be understood that other metal-CVD iscontemplated by this disclosure and falls within the spirit and scope ofthis invention because, armed with this disclosure, those skilled in theart will know and understand how to make and use other metal-CVD coatedsubstrate cores.

As depicted in FIG. 2, the metal-CVD coated substrate core 24 is porousso that coated surface of the substrate core is much greater than wouldbe the case with a non-porous substrate or even coated individualfibers. Additionally, with coated individual fibers the continuity ofthe conductivity throughout the core is compromised. In FIG. 2, theporosity of the metal-CVD coated substrate core 24 is somewhataccentuated for illustrative reasons. As reflected in FIGS. 22-26, alesser porosity is depicted to illustrate an alternative embodimentwhere the porosity affects the amount of coated surface which alsoaffects the amount of metal used and the shielding level that may beachieved.

The metal-CVD coated substrate core 24 may utilize various types ofnon-metal substrates, including polymeric substrates such a Kevlar, ororganic substrates such as carbon fibers or cellulose. However, Kevlarhas such tightly knitted molecules and is expensive and carbon fibers,though less costly than Kevlar, are significantly more expensive thanother organic materials such as cellulose. Hence, Kevlar and carbonfibers may be less suitable that cost-effective organic materials likecellulose. For exemplary disclosure purposes, the cores depicted inFIGS. 1-5, 14, 15, 18, 20, and 22-26 are a NiCVD coated nonwovencellulose paper substrate. It should be understood, however, that thoseskilled in the art armed with this disclosure could make and use variousmetal-CVD coated substrate cores 24 without departing from the spiritand scope of this invention.

Much like traditional wallpaper, the shielded wallpaper 22 may be madein sheets 34 that may be rolled up for storage and transport. Suchsheets 34 have longitudinal edges 36 and may be cut to length, creatingend edges 38. To maintain shielding continuity, when hanging theshielded wallpaper 22 edges 36, 38 may be overlapped to facilitate thecomplete coverage of a wall 12 of shielding capability. FIG. 3 is across-section view of an exemplary embodiment of the shielded wallpaper22 at an overlapping juncture 40 shown in FIG. 1 along line B-B. Theoverlapping, as shown, may be sealed in the same fashion as the shieldedwallpaper 22 is connected to the wall 12 (e.g., by paste, adhesive, oron-site wet resin lay-up as described herein).

The shielded wallpaper 22 may be constructed during application to thewall 12, door 20, ceiling 16, or floor 14 using an on-site wet lay-upprocess because the resin 26 used to seal the metal-CVD coated substratecore 24 from corrosion may also act as an adhesive to secure theshielded wallpaper 22 to a wall 12, door 20, ceiling 16, or floor 14when applied wet and allowed to dry in place. Hence, preparing on-site ashielded wallpaper 22 for connection to a wall 12, for example,comprises impregnating the metal-CVD coated substrate core with ahardening resin 26 while still wet to form an obverse layer 28 and areverse layer 30 of the hardening resin 26, and applying the resin 26wet shielded wallpaper 22 to the wall 12 in adhering engagement pressingthe reverse layer 30 of resin 26, while still wet, against the wall 12to dry into an adhering engagement.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of theshielded wallpaper 22 at an abutting juncture 42 with a shielding strip44 (such as a shielding seam tape) disposed to overlay the abuttingjuncture 42. Again, to maintain shielding continuity, when hanging theshielded wallpaper 22 edges 36, 38 may abut so long as a shielding strip44 covers the abutment of the edges 36, 38. The shielding strip 44 maybe an elongate strip of the same configuration as the shielded wallpaper22, as shown in FIG. 4, or any other suitable strip of shieldingmaterial that will not compromise the integrity of the shielding at theabutment.

FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of an alternative exemplary embodiment ofthe shielded wallpaper of FIG. 1 along line A-A with an adhesive layer46 depicted as disposed on the reverse layer 30 of the shieldedwallpaper 22. The adhesive layer 46 may comprise any suitable paste,adhesive film, or resinous penetrating adhesive, and may be conductiveor non-conductive. By way of example, and not to be restrictive,traditional wallpaper paste, adhesive film, resinous penetratingadhesive such as E6000 adhesive or Gorilla glue, a roll-on or a sprayadhesive like 3M Super 77, vinyl tile adhesives, urethane-basedpolymers, and the like may be effectively be used as an adhesive layer46.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of another alternative exemplaryembodiment of the shielded wallpaper 22 of FIG. 1 along line A-Adepicting a woven metal-CVD coated mesh core 48. The alternativeexemplary shielded wallpaper 22 comprises a metal-CVD coated mesh core48 that is impregnated by resin 26, filling the interstices between thenon-metal warp and weft threads 50, 52, sealing the metal-CVD coatedmesh core 48 and making it vapor impermeable and non-corrosive. Theresin 26 in the depicted alternative embodiment also forms an obverselayer 28 and a reverse layer 30 of resin 26 only, and an intermediatelayer 32 comprised of the resin-impregnated metal-CVD coated mesh core48.

FIG. 7 is another cut-away perspective view of an exemplary embodimentof a shielded room 10 with walls 12, floor 14, ceiling 16, an opticalopening such as window 18, and a door 20, including enlarged portions ofa circled area on the window 18. The first enlargement or magnificationillustrates that the window 18 is overlaid with a diaphanous shieldedcovering 54, and the second enlargement or magnification more clearlyillustrates the warp threads 56, weft threads 58, and interstices 59between the threads 56, 58 of the shielded covering 54. Each of the warpand weft threads 56, 58 may be comprised of organic fibers 60 that areintermingled to form a thread 56, 58. The mesh made of the organic,woven warp and weft threads 56, 58 may be metal-CVD coated, such as byNiCVD.

Again, it should be understood that for such shielded covering to be aneffective shielded optical opening component of a shielded buildingstructure 10, a shielding coupling (such as a conductive frame,overlapping edge portions or tabs of the NiCVD coated screen of wovensilk fibers, or the like) would need to connect to the adjacent portionof shielding of the shielded building structure 10 to maintain shieldingcontinuity between the shielded covering 54 and the shielded buildingstructure 10.

In order to preserve and maximize the degree of transparency through thewindow 18, the resin 26 filling the interstices between the warp andweft threads 56, 58 and sealing the diaphanous shielded covering 54against corrosion is clear, allowing the passage of light through theresin 26. By using a transparent resin 26 to fill the interstices 59 andto cover all surfaces of the shielded covering 54, the metal istoughened and protected against corrosion. Although this is oneprotection feature that may be used protect the delicate coated screenof fibers of the shielded covering, there are other protection featuresthat may be implemented. For example, the shielded covering may beplaced against an optical opening and covered by a barrier of glass ortransparent polymeric material, or the metal-coated woven substrate ofthe shielded covering may be encased in or sandwiched between glassbarriers or barriers of transparent polymeric material. Armed with thisdisclosure, those skilled in the art will understand that there areother ways to protect and strengthen the shielded covering 54 whilemaintaining shielded continuity across the interface between theshielded covering 54 and any adjacent portion of the shielded buildingstructure 10. Each such protection features are contemplated and shouldbe understood to be within the scope and spirit of this invention.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a portion of anexpanded single NiCVD coated silk thread 62 showing multiple coated silkfibers 64 intermingled to form the silk thread 62. The coated silkfibers 64 shown are limited in number and spatially expanded toillustrate that the intermingling of the fibers 64 need not be twistedor braided. However, it should be understood the fibers 64 may betwisted or braided and still be intermingled. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectionview of the exemplary silk thread 62 of FIG. 8 along line D-D, and showsthe NiCVD coating of each individual silk fiber 64. FIG. 10 is acut-away perspective view of an exemplary NiCVD coated silk fiber 64with a portion of the CVD coating 66 stripped away to reveal theuncoated silk fiber 68. Although the silk fiber 68 is disclosed hereinand has certain advantages of strength, durability, availability, andbeing lightweight and inexpensive, it should be understood that othernon-metal fibers may also be used suitably, whether organic or not.

FIG. 11 is an exploded, perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of atwo-layer shielded covering 54 showing the mesh of the overlaying layer70 rotated 45° from the subtending layer 72. With this exemplaryembodiment, the shielding effectiveness is increased significantly withminimal effect on the transparency. Similarly, FIG. 12 is an exploded,perspective view of another exemplary embodiment of a three-layershielded covering 54 showing the mesh of the intermediate layer 74rotated 30° from the subtending layer 72 and the overlying layer 70rotated 60° from the subtending layer 72. Again, the shieldingeffectiveness is increased significantly with minimal effect on thetransparency. For example, with a single layer NiCVD coated silk meshshielded covering 54, transparency is about 50% of an un-shielded windowand delivers about 70 db of shielding, while a two-layer shieldedcovering 54 having the overlaying layer rotated 45° from the subtendinglayer 72 has transparency of about 40% and shielding of about 90 db, andthe three-layer shielded covering 54 having the intermediate layer 74rotated 30° from the subtending layer 72 and the overlying layer 70rotated 60° from the subtending layer 72 has about 30% transparency andshielding of about 110 db.

The shielded covering 54 may be utilized to shield any light fixture(see FIG. 19 for example) or any optical opening, including any openingintended to permit the passage of light into a building structure orinto a room such as, by way of example and not by limitation, windows,glass doors, side lights, skylights, portholes, clearstory windows, andthe like. For such shielded covering 54 to be an effective shieldedoptical opening component of a shielded building structure 10, ashielding coupling (such as a conductive frame (see Example 3 in thetext above and FIG. 21 for example), overlapping edge portions or tabsof the NiCVD coated screen of woven silk fibers (see FIGS. 23-26 forexamples of overlapping edges or tabs connecting to conductivestructure), or the like) would need to connect to the adjacent portionof shielding of the shielded building structure 10 to maintain shieldingcontinuity between the shielded covering 54 and the shielded buildingstructure 10. Of course, those skilled in the art, armed with thisdisclosure would know how to fashion shielded couplings that wouldeffectively connect a shielded covering 54 to a shielded buildingstructure 10 to maintain shielding continuity for the shielding covering54 to the shielded building structure 10.

Turning now to FIGS. 13-15, a cut-away perspective view of an exemplaryembodiment of a shielded room 10 is shown with walls 12, floor 14,ceiling 16, a window 18, and a door 20, including cross sections of theenlarged portions of circled areas at the floor-to-wall juncture 76 andon the ceiling 16. FIG. 14 is a cross-section view of an exemplaryembodiment of the floor-to-wall juncture 76 of FIG. 13 along line E-E.With this exemplary embodiment, shielded wallpaper 22 (as describedabove) is sandwiched between a base subfloor 78 and an overlayingsubfloor 80 with an edge portion 82 angled to run up and along wall 12.This edge portion 82 may then be overlapped by an end edge 38 ofshielded wallpaper 22 to create an overlapping juncture 40 in a fashionas shown in FIG. 3 or abut with an end edge 38 of shielded wallpaper 22with a shielded strip 44 covering the abutting juncture 42 in a fashionas shown in FIG. 4. By connecting the shielded wallpaper 22 in either ofthese ways, the shielding conductivity is continuous through thefloor-to-wall juncture 76.

FIG. 15 shows a cross-section view of an alternative exemplaryembodiment of the floor-to-wall juncture of FIG. 13 along line E-E,where the NiCVD coated substrate core is sandwiched between a basesubfloor 78 and an overlaying subfloor 80 with an edge portion 82 angledto run up and along wall 12. Similarly, to maintain continuous shieldingthrough the floor-to-wall juncture 76, the edge portion 82 may then beoverlapped by an end edge 38 of shielded wallpaper 22 to create anoverlapping juncture 40 in a fashion as shown in FIG. 3 or abut with anend edge 38 of shielded wallpaper 22 with a shielded strip 44 coveringthe abutting juncture 42 in a fashion as shown in FIG. 4.

Though not specifically shown, shielding may be enhanced by coating thebase subfloor 78 and/or the overlaying subfloor 80 with a PCF-loadedmaterial such as a polymer, elastomer, or paint. An example ofPCF-loaded material 88 is depicted in FIG. 16.

FIG. 16 is a top plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a transitionshielding strip 84 to be used as an alternative method for shieldingthrough the floor-to-wall juncture 76. An exemplary transition shieldingstrip 84 may be made of a base layer 86 of the shielding wallpaper 22 ora metal-CVD coated substrate core 24 (e.g., nickel-coated non-woven)with a PCF-loaded material 88 such as a PCF-toughened polymer coating 90over a portion of the base layer 86. The exemplary transition shieldingstrip 84 may be disposed to straddle the floor-to-wall juncture 76 orany other angular interface generally at a bending line 92 with theshielding wallpaper 22 portion being adhered to the wall 12 and thePCF-toughened polymer coating 90 portion being adhered to the shieldedflooring material (such as the subfloor/shielding wallpaper 22 ormetal-CVD coated substrate core 24 combinations described above) orshielded concrete (described below).

FIGS. 17A-17-C is a series of cross-section views of three alternativeembodiments of PCF-loaded shielding material 88, wherein FIG. 17Adepicts a PCF-loaded shielding material 88 with a first concentration ofPCF 89 dispersed within the material 91, FIG. 17B depicts a PCF-loadedshielding material 88 with a second concentration of PCF 89 (greaterthan the first concentration of PCF) dispersed within the material 91,and FIG. 17C depicts a PCF-loaded shielding material 88 with a thirdconcentration of PCF 89 (greater than the second concentration of PCF)dispersed within the material 89. For the sake of brevity, thePCF-loaded shielding material 88 depicted in FIGS. 17A-17-C may compriseone of several different kinds of material 91 (the drawings areessentially the same for each type of material 91). For example, thePCF-loaded shielding material 88 may be a PCF-loaded polymer (such asPCF-toughened polymer coating 90), a PCF-loaded elastomer, a PCF-loadedadhesive, a PCF-loaded sealant, a PCF-loaded paint, a PCF-loadedmortar-based materials such as concrete, mortar, or stucco, or anycombination of such materials 91. As a consequence, the type ofPCF-loaded material 88 used may depend on the function(s) the PCF-loadedmaterial 86 is to perform. A PCF-toughened polymer coating 90 might beused where foot traffic might damage a less robust form of shielding, ora PCF-loaded paint might be used to cover shielded wallpaper 22 or adoor 20, for example.

Depending on the particular shielding need, on whether the project is aretrofit situation or new construction, and on cost and/or practicalityfactors, the use of PCF-loaded shielding material 88 may be used whereshielding wallpaper 22 or shielded coverings 24 are absent or thePCF-loaded shielding material 88 may be used to augment the shieldingeffectiveness of shielding wallpaper 22 or shielded coverings 24.

For example, in a new construction situation, PCF-loaded concrete may bean effective as a shielded subfloor by itself or upon which shieldedflooring or a PCF-toughened polymer coating 90 may be added. In someembodiments PCF-loaded concrete may be used as walls or as ceilings fora structure. In some embodiments, shielding concrete may comprise 0.2 to2.5% of nickel-coated carbon fiber, chopped to lengths of 1 mm to 12 mmand added to the concrete during mixing. With loads levels of 0.01% to0.1% within the concrete, the shielded concrete may be used for an ESDshielding floor. Loading the concrete at approximately 1.5% will yieldshielding at about 60 db for ¼″ thickness, 66 db for ½″ thickness, 72 dbfor 1″ thickness, and 78 db for 2″ thickness.

FIG. 18 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of a shieldedceiling 94 of FIG. 13 along line F-F, and depicts a ceiling 16constructed of drywall 96 such as Sheetrock with a shielded wallpaper 22(or metal-CVD coated substrate core 24) affixed thereto using anadhesive layer 46. This exemplary embodiment is particularly useful fora retrofit to convert an existing drywall 96 ceiling 16 in a shieldedceiling 94. However, this embodiment could also be used for a newconstruction situation.

Other types of shielded ceilings 94 are contemplated by this disclosure.FIG. 19 is a cut-away perspective view of an alternative exemplaryembodiment of a shielded ceiling 94 depicted as a suspended ceiling 98with ceiling panels 100 and a suspended framework 102 for holding theceiling panels 100 suspended from the support ceiling 104. With asuspended ceiling 98, shielding may be introduced in several differentways, each of which may be adequate alone or depending on the desiredlevel of shielding may be combined to increase shielding capability.

One form of shielding for the ceiling 16 may be to roll, brush, or spraya PCF-loaded polymer (such as PCF-toughened polymer coating 90),PCF-loaded sealant, or a PCF-loaded paint onto the support ceiling 104.FIG. 19 depicts a PCF-toughened polymer coating 90 as sprayed onto thesupport ceiling 104. Another form of shielding for the ceiling is topaint the front side 106 or the backside 108 of each ceiling panel 100with a PCF-loaded paint.

FIG. 19 also depicts a recessed light fixture 110 set in an opening 112in one of the ceiling panels 100. To provide shielding and not to overlyattenuate the delivery of light into the shielded room 10, a shieldedcovering 54 spans and covers the area of the opening 112. Similarly,other types of light fixtures or ceiling interruptions may be shieldedusing one or more of the shielding products or techniques describedherein.

FIG. 20, a cross-section view of an exemplary ceiling panel 100, depictsyet another form of shielding for the ceiling 16, showing a shieldinglayer 114 on the backside 108 of the ceiling panel 100. The shieldinglayer 114 may comprise the shielded wallpaper 22 or the metal-CVD coatedsubstrate core 24 connected to the backside of the ceiling panel 100.

Most of the shielding products and techniques described above may beused to retrofit an existing building structure or to prepare a newconstruction. However, there may be situations where a modularconstruction (demountable or not) may be desired or warranted. In suchsituations the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIG. 21 may be useful.FIG. 21 is a cut-away perspective view of yet another exemplaryembodiment of a shielded room 10 with modular wall panels 116,connecting brackets 118, floor 14, ceiling 16, a window 18, and a door20.

FIG. 22 depicts a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded, modular wall panel 116. The shielded modular wall panel 116 isa composite laminate that may be prepared pre-site for installationon-site. The modular wall panel 116 of FIG. 22 comprises a core 120, apanel shielding layer 122 disposed on each face 124 of the core 120, anouter skin 126. The core 120 may be made of any suitable material,conductive or non-conductive. However, for easy in handling and for costand weight considerations the core 120 may be made of typicalconstruction material such as a foam core or drywall 96, or any othersuitable material. Additionally, the outer skin 126 may also be made ofany suitable material (such as the paper face of drywall or the like)that will adequately protect the panel shielding layer 122 from damage.

Each panel shielding layer 122 may comprise shielded wallpaper 22 or ametal-CVD coated substrate core 24 such as a NiCVD coated nonwoven paper128, as depicted in FIG. 22. Each modular panel 116 has side edges 130,and each panel shielding layer 122 extends beyond the side edges 130 toform a wrap-around flap 132. Each wrap-around flap 132 may be wrappedaround and rest flat against the nearest outer skin 126 as shown by theupper left hand wrap-around flap 132 of FIG. 22.

FIG. 23 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of ashielded, modular wall panel 116 and end bracket assembly 134. The endbracket assembly 134 comprises a metal channel 136 and a spacer 138. Themetal channel 136 may be constructed from an extrudable metal by knownextruding processes and has a pair of legs 140 that are spaced apartsufficiently to receive in reasonably snug engagement one of the sideedges 130 of the modular wall panel 116 with both wrap-around flaps 132wrapped around and against the outer skins 126. The pair of legs 140 areconnected by web 142 and together the web 142 and legs 140 define achannel 144 into which the side edge 130 of a modular wall panel 116 maybe inserted. The spacer 138 may be made from any suitable material(conductive or none conductive) such as wood, an elastomer, or the like.With this configuration, the shielding extends across the modular wallpanel 116 to the outer face 146 of web 142.

FIG. 24 depicts a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of apanel-to-panel juncture 148 of FIG. 21 along line G-G. Thepanel-to-panel juncture 148 exists between modular wall panels 116 setside to side or end to end as along a wall 12. To span thepanel-to-panel juncture 148, an H-shaped bracket assembly 150 may beused. The H-shaped bracket assembly 150 may comprise dual metal channels152 and a pair of spacers 138. The dual metal channels 152 may beconstructed from an extrudable metal by known extruding processes andhas two pairs of legs 140 where each pair is spaced apart sufficientlyto receive in reasonably snug engagement one of the side edges 130 of amodular wall panel 116 with both wrap-around flaps 132 wrapped aroundand against the outer skins 126. Each pair of legs 140 is connected byweb 142 and together the web 142 and legs 140 define a pair of opposingchannels 144 into which the side edges 130 of the modular wall panels116 may be inserted. Again, each spacer 138 may be made from anysuitable material (conductive or none conductive) such as wood, anelastomer, or the like. With this configuration, the shielding extendsacross both modular wall panels 116 and the panel-to-panel juncture 148.

FIGS. 25 and 26 depict panel-to-panel corner junctures 154 andalternative brackets used to maintain shielding through the corners.FIG. 25 is a cross-section view of an exemplary embodiment of apanel-to-panel corner juncture 154 of FIG. 21 along line H-H. Thepanel-to-panel corner juncture 154 exists between modular wall panels116 set at right angle to each other as a corner between two walls 12.To span the panel-to-panel corner juncture 154, an angled bracketassembly 156 may be used. The angled bracket assembly 156 may comprisedual metal channels 152 and a pair of spacers 138. The dual metalchannels 152 may be constructed from an extrudable metal by knownextruding processes and has two pairs of legs 140 where each pair isspaced apart sufficiently to receive in reasonably snug engagement oneof the side edges 130 of a modular wall panel 116 with both wrap-aroundflaps 132 wrapped around and against the outer skins 126. Each pair oflegs 140 is connected by web 142 and together the web 142 and legs 140define a pair of angled channels 158 into which the side edges 130 ofthe modular wall panels 116 may be inserted. As shown in FIG. 22, theexemplary embodiment depicted has a common portion 160 that is common toone leg 140 of one angled channel 158 and the web 142 of the otherangled channel 158. Again, each spacer 138 may be made from any suitablematerial (conductive or none conductive) such as wood, an elastomer, orthe like. With this configuration, the shielding extends across bothmodular wall panels 116 and the panel-to-panel corner juncture 154.

FIG. 26 depicts a cross-section view of an alternative exemplaryembodiment of a panel-to-panel corner juncture 154 of FIG. 21 along lineH-H with an anchoring screw 162 positioned to secure a modular wallpanel 116 within its angled channel 158. The panel-to-panel cornerjuncture 154 exists between modular wall panels 116 set at right angleto each other as a corner between two walls 12. To span thepanel-to-panel corner juncture 154, an angled bracket assembly 156 maybe used. The angled bracket assembly 156 of FIG. 26 differs slightlyfrom that depicted in FIG. 26 in that a larger spacer 138 is used sothat an anchoring screw 162 may be driven through the dual metalchannels 152, both spacers 138 and into the core 120 without penetratingany outer skin 130 or any panel shielding layer 126. The angled bracketassembly 156 may comprise dual metal channels 152 and a pair of spacers138. The dual metal channels 152 may be constructed from an extrudablemetal by known extruding processes and has two pairs of legs 140 whereeach pair is spaced apart sufficiently to receive in reasonably snugengagement one of the side edges 130 of a modular wall panel 116 withboth wrap-around flaps 132 wrapped around and against the outer skins126. Each pair of legs 140 is connected by web 142 and together the web142 and legs 140 define a pair of angled channels 158 into which theside edges 130 of the modular wall panels 116 may be inserted. As shownin FIG. 23, the exemplary embodiment depicted has a common portion 160(through which the anchoring screw 162 passes) that is common to one leg140 of one angled channel and the web 142 of the other angled channel158. Again, each spacer 138 may be made from any suitable material(conductive or none conductive) such as wood, an elastomer, or the likeso long as each spacer maintains its structural integrity whenpenetrated by the anchoring screw 162. With this configuration, theshielding extends across both modular wall panels 116 and thepanel-to-panel corner juncture 154.

It should be understood that another exemplary angled bracket assembly156 may be created that is designed to span and shield a panel-to-panelcorner juncture 154. Such angled bracket assembly 156 embodiment may becreated by positioning two end bracket assemblies 134 (as depicted inFIG. 23) with the web 142 of one end bracket assembly 134 positionedadjacent and generally parallel to one of the legs 140 of the other endbracket assembly 134 and a conductive gasket (not shown, but understoodby those skilled in the art) between. The conductive gasket may be madeof any suitably conductive material such as a PCF-loaded elastomer. Sothat the conductive gasket need not bear the entire stress of theconstructed corner, one or more anchoring screws 162 may be used toassure the stability of the corner in a manner similar to that depictedin FIG. 26.

With slight modification to the angled bracket assembly 156 and thespacers 138, the angled bracket assembly 156 may be modified toaccommodate angles other than the right angle connection depicted inFIGS. 25 and 26. Those skilled in the art, armed with this disclosurewould be able to make and use angled bracket assemblies 156 that connectadjacent modular wall panels 116 at an angle other than a right angle.

For exemplary methods or processes of the invention, the sequence and/orarrangement of steps described herein are illustrative and notrestrictive. Accordingly, it should be understood that, although stepsof various processes or methods may be shown and described as being in asequence or temporal arrangement, the steps of any such processes ormethods are not limited to being carried out in any particular sequenceor arrangement, absent an indication otherwise. Indeed, the steps insuch processes or methods generally may be carried out in variousdifferent sequences and arrangements while still falling within thescope of the present invention.

Additionally, any references to advantages, benefits, unexpectedresults, or operability of the present invention are not intended as anaffirmation that the invention has been previously reduced to practiceor that any testing has been performed. Likewise, unless statedotherwise, use of verbs in the past tense (present perfect or preterit)is not intended to indicate or imply that the invention has beenpreviously reduced to practice or that any testing has been performed.

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described above. Noelement, act, or instruction used in this description should beconstrued as important, necessary, critical, or essential to theinvention unless explicitly described as such. Although only a few ofthe exemplary embodiments have been described in detail herein, thoseskilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications arepossible in these exemplary embodiments without materially departingfrom the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. Accordingly,all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofthis invention as defined in the appended claims.

In the claims, any means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover thestructures described herein as performing the recited function and notonly structural equivalents, but also equivalent structures. Thus,although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that anail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together,whereas a screw employs a helical surface, in the environment offastening wooden parts, a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures.Unless the exact language “means for” (performing a particular functionor step) is recited in the claims, a construction under Section 112, 6thparagraph is not intended. Additionally, it is not intended that thescope of patent protection afforded the present invention be defined byreading into any claim a limitation found herein that does notexplicitly appear in the claim itself.

While specific embodiments and applications of the present inventionhave been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to the precise configuration and componentsdisclosed herein. Various modifications, changes, and variations whichwill be apparent to those skilled in the art may be made in thearrangement, operation, and details of the methods and systems of thepresent invention disclosed herein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present embodimentsmay be embodied in other specific forms without departing from itsstructures, methods, or other essential characteristics as broadlydescribed herein and claimed hereinafter. The described embodiments areto be considered in all respects only as illustrative, and notrestrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by theappended claims, rather than by the foregoing description. All changesthat come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims areto be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for electromagnetically shielding abuilding structure having a plurality of walls connected to define anenclosed volume, the method for electromagnetically shielding thebuilding structure comprising the steps of: preparing anelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper for connection to at least oneof the plurality of walls, the electromagnetically shielding wallpapercomprising: a non-metallic, porous substrate core; a metal-CVD (chemicalvapor deposition) coating of the non-metallic, porous substrate coreforming a metal-CVD coated substrate core that is porous and hascontinuous and isotropic electrical conductivity; and impregnating aresin into the metal-CVD coated substrate core to seal the metal-CVDcoating from corrosion; and applying the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper to the at least one of the plurality of walls in adheringengagement.
 2. The method for electromagnetically shielding a buildingstructure of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper further comprises an obverse layer of the resin, a reverselayer of the resin, and an adhering layer attached to the reverse layerof the resin, the adhesive layer being at least one of a wallpaperpaste, an adhesive film, and a resinous penetrating adhesive, andwherein the step of applying the electromagnetically shielding wallpaperto the at least one of the plurality of walls in adhering engagementcomprises applying the adhesive layer to the at least one of theplurality of walls in adhering engagement.
 3. The method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim 1, whereinthe resin is a hardening resin and the step of preparing anelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper for connection to at least oneof the plurality of walls comprises impregnating the metal-CVD coatedsubstrate core with the hardening resin while still wet to form anobverse layer and a reverse layer of the hardening resin on oppositesides of the metal-CVD coated substrate core, and the step of applyingthe electromagnetically shielding wallpaper to the at least one of theplurality of walls in adhering engagement comprises applying the reverselayer while still wet to the at least one of the plurality of walls todry into an adhering engagement.
 4. The method for electromagneticallyshielding a building structure of claim 1, wherein theelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper is made in sheets and each sheethas edges, the step of applying the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper comprises the steps of overlapping adjacent sheets to form anoverlapping juncture and sealing the overlapping juncture to maintainelectromagnetic shielding continuity from one sheet to another sheet. 5.The method for electromagnetically shielding a building structure ofclaim 4, wherein sealing the overlapping juncture to maintain shieldingcontinuity comprises applying at least one of paste and adhesive.
 6. Themethod for electromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim5, wherein the at least one of paste and adhesive is selected from thegroup consisting of wallpaper paste, adhesive film, resinous penetratingadhesive, a roll-on adhesive, a spray adhesive, a vinyl tile adhesive,and a urethane-based polymer.
 7. The method for electromagneticallyshielding a building structure of claim 1, wherein the metal-CVD coatedsubstrate core comprises NiCVD.
 8. The method for electromagneticallyshielding a building structure of claim 4, wherein sealing theoverlapping juncture to maintain electromagnetic shielding continuitycomprises on-site wet resin lay-up.
 9. The method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim 1, whereinthe electromagnetically shielding wallpaper is made in sheets and eachsheet has edges, the step of applying the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper comprises the steps of abutting adjacent sheets edge to edgeto form an abutment of edges and applying an electromagneticallyshielding strip to cover the abutment of edges.
 10. The method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim 9, whereinthe step of applying the electromagnetically shielding wallpaper furthercomprises the step of sealing the electromagnetically shielding strip tothe abutting adjacent sheets to cover the abutment of edges and tomaintain shielding continuity.
 11. The method for electromagneticallyshielding a building structure of claim 10, wherein sealing theelectromagnetically shielding strip to the abutting adjacent sheets tocover the abutment of edges comprises applying at least one of paste andadhesive.
 12. The method for electromagnetically shielding a buildingstructure of claim 11, wherein the at least one of paste and adhesive isselected from the group consisting of wallpaper paste, adhesive film,resinous penetrating adhesive, a roll-on adhesive, a spray adhesive, avinyl tile adhesive, and a urethane-based polymer.
 13. The method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim 10, whereinsealing the electromagnetically shielding strip to the abutting adjacentsheets to cover the abutment of edges comprises on-site wet resinlay-up.
 14. The method for electromagnetically shielding a buildingstructure of claim 1, wherein the metal-CVD coated substrate core beingporous comprises a metal-CVD coated mesh core having non-metal warp andweft threads and interstices, and the step of impregnating a resin intothe metal-CVD coated substrate core further comprises the step offilling the interstices between the non-metal warp and weft threads toseal the metal-CVD coated mesh core making the metal-CVD coated meshcore vapor impermeable and non-corrosive.
 15. The method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim 14, whereinat least one of the non-metal warp and weft threads comprisesintermingled organic fibers.
 16. The method for electromagneticallyshielding a building structure of claim 1, wherein the buildingstructure further comprises a ceiling and the method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure further comprises thesteps of: preparing electromagnetically shielding wallpaper forconnection to the ceiling, the electromagnetically shielding wallpapercomprising the metal-CVD coated substrate core; and applying theelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper to the ceiling in adheringengagement to form an electromagnetically shielding ceiling.
 17. Themethod for electromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim16, wherein the ceiling comprises a support ceiling and a suspendedceiling and the step of preparing electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper for connection to the ceiling comprises preparingelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper for connection to the supportceiling and the step of applying the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper to the ceiling in adhering engagement comprises applying theelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper to the support ceiling inadhering engagement.
 18. The method for electromagnetically shielding abuilding structure of claim 1, wherein the building structure furthercomprises a floor and the method for electromagnetically shielding abuilding structure further comprises the steps of: preparingelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper for connection to the floor, theelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper comprising the metal-CVD coatedsubstrate core; and applying the electromagnetically shielding wallpaperto the floor in adhering engagement to form an electromagneticallyshielding floor.
 19. The method for electromagnetically shielding abuilding structure of claim 18, wherein the floor comprises anoverlaying subfloor having an underside and a subtending subfloor andthe step of preparing electromagnetically shielding wallpaper forconnection to the floor comprises preparing electromagneticallyshielding wallpaper for connection to the underside of the overlayingsubfloor and the step of applying the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper to the floor in adhering engagement comprises applying theelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper to the underside of theoverlaying subfloor in adhering engagement.
 20. The method forelectromagnetically shielding a building structure of claim 18, whereinthe floor comprises an overlaying subfloor and a subtending subfloorhaving an upperside and the step of preparing electromagneticallyshielding wallpaper for connection to the floor comprises preparingelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper for connection to the uppersideof the subtending subfloor and the step of applying theelectromagnetically shielding wallpaper to the floor in adheringengagement comprises applying the electromagnetically shieldingwallpaper to the upperside of the subtending subfloor in adheringengagement.